He faced Leah. “I wanted it to stop, but I’m a coward. Then you killed Brad, and I thought things would be over. But it only got worse. Hess took everything over. He’s calling the shots and he’s a killer, stone-cold.”
Leah had to take a minute to process this. She’d come close to inadvertently exposing the smuggling operation. Brad had a chance to do the right thing and didn’t. But then so did Richard. It made her angry. But anger wasn’t going to change anything.
“So you retired and got out, put your head in the sand.”
“I’m sorry, Leah. I knew what Brad was; I just didn’t have the courage to back you. They would have killed me. They tried. I didn’t destroy my knee at work. They let me live but promised if I ever set foot in Table Rock again, I’d be dead. I was in too deep myself. I’m no angel.”
“And what about now?”
“I hate Hess. When your lawyer started poking the Hangmen nest, I started keeping tabs on him. Things are getting way too hot. Then the FBI got here, and now Dave Draper’s in trouble. He’ll fold like a cheap suit.”
He turned away and continued walking. “Hess has money and IDs galore in that barn. I saw one of his men head down that way. Hess is getting away over my dead body.”
They were almost to the house when the first gunshots rang out. Fear didn’t paralyze Leah; it made her move. Passing Chambers, she prayed as she ran. Oh, Lord, please let Clint be alive.
She skidded to a stop when she saw someone coming from the barn, running up the well-lit drive. He was holding a long gun and he wasn’t FBI. His attention was on the house, and it gave her a chance to get the drop on him. She darted behind an SUV.
Behind cover, gun on target, she almost yelled, “Freeze!” Deciding against it, not wanting to make that much noise, she was trying to think when Chambers opened fire on the running man. He hit him several times. The rifle fell to the ground and so did the man, face-first in the driveway.
So much for not making any noise.
Clint opened the door, trying to remember the layout of the farmhouse. After several rapid-fire shots, the gunfire had stopped.
Gun up, Clint tiptoed down the hall.
“Poor, stupid Grady.” Becky’s voice sounded mocking.
He stopped. Where was Hess? Everything was eerily quiet now. Clint remembered that the kitchen was off to the left. He had a sense that someone was on the other side of the door.
He lowered his shoulder and dove left into the doorway, straight into Hess. The big man went down with Clint on top of him. Clint lost the handgun he’d had, but so did Hess. Clint landed a right hand to the fugitive’s face and felt the satisfying crunch of cartilage as he broke the man’s nose.
Hess cursed but was barely stunned, and he countered with a hard left to Clint’s battered rib cage. Something cracked and the pain blinded him, taking Clint’s breath away. He rolled off of Hess and was trying to regroup when outside, more gunfire sounded. Clint wondered if the FBI had made it to the party.
Hess got up quickly and retrieved his gun, wiping blood from his nose.
He landed another kick to Clint’s midsection, and all Clint could do was roll up into a ball and try to catch his breath. He looked up at Hess and prayed that Falcon or someone would find their way here. The only thing that gave him peace was the knowledge that at least Leah knew how he felt about her.
“Is that Gregor shooting outside? At what?” Hess called out.
“I can’t see, and I’m not going to stick my head out the door,” Becky responded. She rushed into the kitchen. “Just shoot him and let’s get out of here through the back. We have to get Duke.”
“Grady said Duke was in custody.”
“So what? He’s my brother. We’re not leaving him.”
Hess laughed. “He shouldn’t have gotten caught. If you think I’m going to try a jailbreak, you’re crazy.”
From his position on the floor Clint could see the fury in Becky’s face. It seemed to turn purple.
She directed her venom toward Hess. “We saved your butt; we made certain you had a place to start over and prosper. You are not going to desert Duke now.”
Hess jerked his arm from her grasp, shoving her into the wall. “I’m gone. They’re never going to catch me. You’re on your own.”
He turned toward Clint, pointing the gun. Clint held his breath, waiting for the kill shot, then jumped when a gun fired. But he wasn’t the one hit.
Becky fired her gun at least five times, hitting Hess every single time. The big man went down with surprise on his face and was still. Clint’s nose burned from the acrid smell of expended rounds. He thought he heard sirens but decided it was his ears ringing from the gunfire.
Becky glared down at him. “Get up,” she fairly snarled, features feral and crazed.
Clint rolled over slowly and pushed himself to his knees.
“You’re going to help me get my brother out of jail.”
“No, he’s not.”
Clint looked up in surprise and Becky turned.
Leah stood in the dining room, just outside the doorway. Pointing a gun. To Clint’s pain-addled brain, she looked like an angel, bathed in light.
“Drop the gun, Becky.”
“I thought you were shot. I heard it on the scanner.” Becky didn’t drop the gun.
“It was Ivy. Duke shot her.”
“Ivy?” Becky looked as confused as Clint felt. What did Ivy have to do with any of this?
“Yeah, he shot Ivy and Grady shot him.”
“What?”
“He’s dead. You’re not going to break him out of anything.”
“Dead? You killed my brother?”
Clint could smell Becky’s smoldering anger like he could smell the gunfire. Rising from the floor as fast as the pain allowed, he lurched into her. Her gun went off, the shot wild.
Becky screamed. He tried to hold her and couldn’t.
She wrenched herself from his grasp and lunged toward Leah. Leah was ready with the signature quickness of a point guard. She caught Becky’s right arm and stepped aside, using Becky’s momentum to her advantage. Twisting Becky’s wrist just the right way, Leah dropped to one knee, pulling Becky down, face-first.
Leah had her wrist in a picture-perfect twist lock as the door slammed open. Clint recognized Falcon and then Cross on his heels. The FBI agents took custody of Becky. Leah dropped her gun and rushed to Clint’s side.
Clint relaxed into her embrace and the pain in his rib cage dulled somewhat. But every breath hurt, and he knew something was broken.
“How did you know to come here?” He leaned partially into the doorway. He saw worry crease her features and tried to smile. Breathing was agony.
“I’ll tell you all about it. After I call for paramedics.”
“I don’t need paramedics,” he said. “I just need you.” That was the last thing he remembered.
CHAPTER 59
Leah rode with the medics as they hurried Clint to the hospital. Collapsed lung, they said. She could tell he was having trouble breathing. She prayed and held his hand.
Falcon had Becky Blanchard and Richard Chambers in custody. Leah hoped they’d open up and tell the authorities everything. Richard might, but Becky was doubtful.
Leah had already pieced things together in her mind. Harden had sold his soul to the devil to keep his businesses alive. Hess found the perfect spot in Table Rock because of the Hangmen. He was able to expand and grow his illegal business by paying Harden tribute. In return, Harden’s Hangmen kept him safe.
Clint told Falcon where he’d left the flash drive. Leah was hopeful that it would help button things up. But right now, her only concern was Clint. As soon as they got to the hospital, he was taken into surgery, and she had to wait.
She called her father and discovered Ivy was alive and holding her own at a different hospital. While in the waiting room she watched as the cable news channels began reporting what had happened at Larkspur Farms.
“Three people ar
e in custody, and three are dead, including Jackson County Commissioner Duke Gill. Four more remain hospitalized in unknown conditions. According to the FBI, the late-night callout was the culmination of a two-year investigation that branched off the Leah Radcliff shooting incident. People will remember Radcliff was . . .”
Leah tuned the rest out and got up to pace. Richard, Becky, and a man who was found tied up in a back room were the ones in custody. Hess, Duke, and the man Richard shot were the three dead, with Clint, Grady, Ivy, and Harden being the four hospitalized.
Leah had seen Harden on the floor of the farmhouse. At the time she’d thought he was dead but had since learned that while he’d suffered a head injury, he was alive. After all the trauma of the last few years, Leah wondered if Harden would stay that way to face justice. And what would happen to Larry? Would he weasel out of his part?
“I’m truly sorry I never came forward. The thin blue line deserved better than me,” Richard had said to her before she left with Clint.
There were a lot of people who could say that.
“Thank God it’s over,” she whispered.
“Miss Radcliff?”
She turned. “Yes?”
“He’s out of surgery and in recovery now. Everything went well. His prognosis is good.”
“Thank you.” Leah collapsed into a chair, tears of relief falling.
Later, they let her sit beside him as he slowly woke up. Without hesitation she gently ran a soothing hand over his brow. Outside, the morning sun was rising and she could see snow falling.
“Hey, is that you, Radcliff?”
Leah turned to see Clint regarding her with a dopey half smile on his face. She dropped her hand to the side and gripped his. “Yeah, Tanner, it’s me.”
“We have to stop meeting like this.”
She laughed as the stress and fear faded. “You have to stop ending up in the hospital.”
He chuckled. It was weak, but it sounded good.
“At least you don’t have to ask me to look after your dog. My dad’s got the little monster; he’s driving Dad crazy.”
“We’ll have to work on that, train Buster to be a good dog.”
“I agree.”
“There’s a lot we’ll have to do together . . . always together. We make a good team.”
She squeezed his hand with both of hers, happy tears falling. “Copy that, Clint Tanner.”
EPILOGUE
“This will be the best Christmas ever.” Leah grinned as she put the last touches on the tree. The house smelled of roasting turkey, and also cinnamon and nutmeg because of the apple pie she had baking, and a steady, light snow was falling outside. It really felt like Christmas.
Randy gave her a hug. “Beautiful tree.”
They were waiting for their guests. Clint was expected, along with Jack, Vicki, and their dates. The dining table extended from the kitchen, and Randy was itching to carve the turkey, fidgeting and humming “White Christmas.” Even Buster got in on the act, dressed in Christmas finery, a big red bow on his collar.
The knock on the door was early, but Leah was ready. She flung the door open, her smile dying on her lips. “Falcon, what are you doing here?”
He grinned. “Merry Christmas to you too.”
“Uh, merry Christmas. Come on in. I thought you were back in DC.” She stepped aside to let Agent Falcon in.
“Smells great. Wish I could stay.” He handed Leah a manila folder. “Here’s the preliminary report. I thought you deserved a copy.”
She took the folder. “That was fast. The government usually takes its time.”
“There will be more. Becky Blanchard finally started talking.”
“You trust what she’s saying?”
“What we can corroborate. Turns out she had a mile-long rap sheet under the name Rebecca Gill. We knew Hess was a killer and that he had an unidentified partner.”
“It’s Becky?”
“Most likely. She and her brother were Hess’s silent partners on the East Coast. They came to Oregon twelve years ago. Harden Draper’s business was in danger of going under—too much competition from the big box stores. They had cash and a business plan. Hess stayed in the shadows, but he made things work. His connections to the Russian Mafia kept goods and money flowing for Draper.”
That Harden Draper’s business was a well-hidden smuggling operation had rocked the city of Table Rock. He’d survived to face the music, and Leah couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. He was likely to die in prison with all the charges he was facing. Brad, his uncle, and all the well-placed people in important positions had covered for him for years. Judge Revel had even been caught up in the investigation. He’d retired abruptly and was waiting to be charged.
“I can read all of this for myself, and you could have mailed it. Why come out here on Christmas Day to hand it over?”
“There were some salient details I wanted to tell you in person. We learned that Draper did order the attempts on your life at Coffee Creek. Hess set things up. Both the women who attacked you were pressured and their families threatened.”
Leah digested this. One of the women was dead; the other would be in jail a long time. She almost wished Hess wasn’t dead so he would spend his life in a cage.
“And the storage drive was a gold mine,” Falcon continued, “but it might not tell the whole story. The records kept on it were five years old.”
“Meaning that anyone added to the Hangmen or Hess’s operation in the intervening might stay hidden?”
“Yep. And we lost Ripley.”
“What?”
“He skipped bail.” Falcon held his hands out, palms up. “We believe he fled the country. He’s made the most wanted list. There will be more charges after we complete the review of the storage drive.”
Leah shook her head in disappointment. Larry had been indicted for perjury for the testimony he gave in Leah’s trial. Grant Holloway turned state’s evidence. He owed Hess a great deal of money due to a gambling debt. Since Holloway had the misfortune of resembling Hess, Larry decided to use it to their advantage. Ripley made up the story he told in court that Holloway was the person Leah saw collecting rent.
“Larry the weasel is gone, a fugitive. Duke is dead. A state senator and a county commissioner, not to mention cops and judges.” Leah shook her head. “How is Table Rock ever going to survive this?” She’d already heard the city council talk of disbanding the PD and hiring the sheriff’s department to patrol Table Rock, like they did Shady Cove and White City.
“Because there are still good people around to step into the spaces created by the indictments and make things right. Jackson County needs a new sheriff, for example; maybe you should throw your hat in the ring. You’d be in a position to help Table Rock rebuild, even more so if they do decide to disband the PD and hire the sheriff’s department.”
“Hear, hear,” Randy called out from the kitchen before resuming his humming.
“I was only a cop for three years.”
Falcon shrugged. “The sheriff is an elected position, part politician, part cop. Besides, you’ve got life experience that can’t be bought. Think about it.” He tipped his head. “And merry Christmas.”
Leah set the folder aside after Falcon left. A few minutes later, Jack and his girlfriend arrived with Clint in tow.
Jack’s girlfriend was a pleasant surprise. The woman in his life was Melody Draper. She’d been hiding in plain sight in Klamath Falls. Since Jack had grown up in the valley, he knew her well already. When he came across her in Klamath Falls, he kept her informed about Brad and her family. She’d left Table Rock to escape Brad and never contacted anyone, fearing if she did, Brad would find out and find her. That fear kept her away even after Brad died. It was only after she learned of her father’s indictment that she felt safe enough to come home. From what Leah had heard, Ivy and Melody had a great reunion. They recently checked their mother into alcohol rehab.
Grady, sadly, did not survive. Whatever se
cret he’d had that kept him on Harden Draper’s leash had died with him. Leah made certain the authorities knew about his wishes regarding his son.
Clint had spent a week in the hospital after surgery for a punctured lung, thanks to Colin Hess’s kicking. He’d been released a couple weeks ago, but Leah was still glad he caught a ride with Jack and Melody. Melody resembled her mother, though she looked happier and more alert.
“Hey, long time no see,” Clint said with a grin.
Leah returned the grin; she’d been at the hospital every single day. When she stepped up to give him a gentle hug, he pulled her close and tight.
“It’s not that I don’t like it, but I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Not possible,” he whispered as he pressed his lips to hers. Leah gladly would have stayed like that, but Jack cleared his throat.
“No mistletoe there, guys.”
Leah stepped back, blushing. Clint’s eyes were warm and filled with amusement.
After Vicki and her date arrived, and they were all gathered around the table, Buster at Leah’s feet, her father proposed a toast.
“To friends, family, and a God who handles all the details.”
“And prayer,” Leah chimed in. “To prayer, the first, best weapon for every battle.”
“Hear, hear,” Clint said. After the toast, he turned to Leah. “Now what’s this I hear about you wanting to be sheriff?”
Leah started to protest but saw his eyes dancing with loving amusement, not mockery.
Then Jack joined the fray. “You’ve got my vote.”
Conversation exploded around the table, and all Leah could do was sit back and bask in the glow of love and friendship and wonder, What would it be like to be the sheriff?
1
LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA
FEBRUARY
“999! 999—” Click. The voice cut off.
Commander Tess O’Rourke was halfway to the station when the emergency call exploded from the radio. The frantic transmission punched like a physical blow. A triple 9—officer needs help—was only used when an officer was in the direst emergency.
Breach of Honor Page 30
